#002: Travel the World

Iceland Winter is amazing,if not better than the summer though I have not experienced that yet. The main reason I’m thinking this is because the Northern Lights and Ice Caves adventure both of which only can be seen, experienced in the winter months between November and March.

Quick thoughts on Iceland is that it is incredibly clean, the water is delicious which you can drink from anywhere, they care about he environment, the food is pretty dang good, you just live with the snow here, and that the weather is unpredictable and changes every 30 minutes…

Most of my updates are via just the jump shots which you can see on the sidebar here(not on mobile) or on Facebook, Instagram, or Flickr. I’ll add a few iceland pictures here though.

Next up is Boston briefly, then Vancouver/Whistler for TED, then 3 weeks each in Turkey and Greece, though my plans have not been planned out for those. Ping me for tips, or join me!

(My first meal in India, in Varanasi called a Thali which gives an assortment of the dishes to mix. Very cheap to. About $2)

Tomorrow ends my 4 weeks in India and I’ll be off to Sri Lanka for a week. I’ve had very little time to blog while here but 15,000 photos, a spicy stomach, a new understanding of clean, lots of dust in my lungs, many new faces, and many more learnings will be blogged about eventually. There is TONS of opportunity in India…. lots of Traditions are held as well though…..But for now, just an update for those that can help me in my next locations..

The last 3 weeks has been monitoring, tracking, waiting, deciding on when to buy tickets. Airline prices fluctuate constantly. I thought I’d document a few tips I’ve learned over the weeks.

Incognito Browser: When searching, use a Incognito Browser so websites do not track your searches. (Google Chrome Browser offers this)… When they track your searches they know when to raise prices on you. In an Incognito Browser they think it is your first search each time, hence the best prices.

Buy on Saturday or Monday: There is all kinds of research saying when prices are best. It is true prices go up and down throughout the weeks, but I’ve also learned the earlier, the better…or you take the gamble until a few days before when airlines drop prices to fill in the seats, but they also mega raise the price if they think those seats are highly desired… and if traveling during holidays…they will be taken…

Alternative Transportation: Consider not just flying but Trains, buses, private drivers, boats, etc. I’m use to flying to a place then taking cabs/Uber everywhere. But then I just realized in India (my first stop) trains and buses are really cheap, and private drivers cost about 10-15$ usd a day to go anywhere!!! Instead of flying to A-B-C for say 150-200$ each flight in India, I can just hire a Cab…even though it takes hours to drive to places…I can have them drive overnight. Even if you don’t overnight sleep in these cars, the cost is cheap.. 1) You don’t have to seek a cab each time 2)No need to bargain every time you catch a cab, especially if you are a tourist…they like to overcharge by double if no triple if they see you. 3)You can make tons of stops 4) You can leave bags in this ca while you venture for the day.

Matador Network has a simple webpage to map out where you have been around the world. I made one of where I have been before this trek and I’ve been to 36 countries as seen above. Gosh, I’ve got lots to cover even though I’m a well traveled person. After the jump I also made a map in what I’m hoping to cover in the next year…reaching up to 75 total! I’ll update this post in 2016 and see what I actually covered…Continue reading

One of my DREAM adventures is into the mystical south Antarctica though thus far to trek into the real center I’ve learned I have to be a government scientist to scuba dive, or to conduct real scientific experiments… I’ve also learned that even if you are one, you need to apply for grants which cost a TON….upwards of 10-15k a day for a human to live there… Not a cheap place to journey to.

The next best option that I’ve found is the tourist cruise, though they range from leisure, to workshops, to leadership programs.
If you know another exploratory option, pleeeease let me know. Otherwise I’ll list the few that I’ve looked into:

– www.2014.com: Leadership program run by Robert Swan. 2 week journey to educate and empower individuals about the need to preserve Antarctica and the world for better. If accepted will cost upwards of $22k for 14 days.

– Frans Lantig Photographers Photo Tour: One of the best nature photographers out there and awesome person. I met him at a conference and we have been friends since. He has tours in Africa, Greenland, Antarctica ($15-20k)

– Polar Latitude: This one came upon a recommendation from a friend, though its the same one Frans uses. ($7-15k 1-3 weeks)

I was just sent a suggestion to check out WWOOF (Weekend Working on Organic Farms) during my travels. In brief WWOOF is a network of Farmers worldwide willing to exchange your labor at their farm for food, housing, and something less touristy but real. I’ve had a few friends do this and each have given rave experiences… meeting real people, seeing the real country, eating real local food, learn about organic farming, and also saving lots of money.

I’ll be giving this a go in a few places on my worldwide journey where I do not know many people. I think it might be the same experience as AirBnB in that you get to know someone locally very well, get some local knowledge, and real home cooked food…and if on a farm, perhaps even better food than what you get in a restaurant…

I’ve been thinking about doing something fun while I travel the world, and realized over the years I’ve been doing this goofy jump in the Air that many do (I think). As I travel I’ll Instagram and Flickr these images and tag them #isaidgo.

I probably got influenced by my awesome buddy Matt Harding who made an uber goofy dance that made the world smile though I do not expect to get viral like him… but hopefully it inspires people to let go, say go, and dream. I’m leaving my dream job, to chase a larger dream, but starting off by traveling the world to relearn, explore, and live this world!

I’ve learned lots in the short few weeks planning all of this:
1. Is it better to do one long around the world trip, or break it down into say 4-5 segments though it might cost more?
2. Organizing is good. Initially I was going to wing it as some friends have, but something about a spreadsheet soothes me.
3. Visa, shots, etc…yup…need to think about where to go and what early to get all the needs down.
4. Have a plan or goal. Interviews, food treks, adventures, etc… It’s good to let friends know early so they can help plan your adventure as well.

Anyhow, I’m still early in the process but I thought I’d post 3 schedules that I’ve documented thus far to see my thinking… after the jump…

If you’ve visited me in the last several year, you’d probably notice a collection of bright magenta Post-It notes scribbled above my desk. These notes have followed me everywhere and have changed often. They are quotes I’ve learned from friends, leaders, companies, and a few I made. They are a mix of aspirational quotes to push me to become better, but also a list of beliefs I’ve learned over the years to drive great design, ideas, products, and businesses.

This is a picture I took on Sept 26, 2014…I’m sure it will change more as I plan for my journey and even more as I am on my travels, but I thought I’d share it as I know may have taken pictures of it… enjoy!

So my Grand Journey is not going to start until 2015, but I’m lucky enough to travel to Brazil for TEDGlobal, and will be taking a bit of extra time to visit Floripa where I hear is full of beaches and life, Rio where TED will be held, and then a quick visit to San Paulo which I hear is the NYC of Brazil and I can finally look into a post I had about A City Without Ads.

My exact plans are a bit unplanned even though heading over in a week, but after the jump I’ll provide a useful list of links my friend from Brazil provided…